We have Kevin Kieft from Prein&Newhof visiting our council meeting Monday to provide a brief update on the SAW Grant Project. Have an enjoyable weekend, they say rain but at least it’s not snow. Be safe out there and see all of you Monday night.


Recreation: Matt McKinnon

Folks: Coopersville Rec needs your HELP!!! – Please read and share!!!
 
We are in a CONTEST to WIN a $15,000 customized equipment grant from Let’s Play and Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group.
We were selected out of a pool of over 200 entries.  We made the top 15, now it is a VOTE to see who will capture the top prize.
 
Here is the prize structure
Grand Prize:  $15,000 customized equipment grant
2ndPlace:  $10,000 customized equipment grant
3rdPlace:  $5,000 customized equipment grant
4th–10thPlace:  $1,000 PE Kit (contains cones, basketballs, volleyballs, footballs, flag football belts, jump ropes, frisbees and scrimmage vests)
 
You can vote once per day on facebook…by following this link woobox.com/ho7j5g
Righgt is a picture of what I submitted….to assist you in recognizing which one to vote for…click on the link above.
​
Please help me show the WORLD that Coopersville is a force to be reckoned with….ROCK THE VOTE!  (as of the publishing of this packet, we are holding onto a slim second place but need to keep it up)
 
 
Master Plan Update: Jonathan Seyferth

We are nearing the end of feedback window on the draft master plan which has been ongoing since mid-February. We’re asking that all feedback be in by Wednesday, March 29. The end of this feedback window starts a timeline that, if all goes according to plan, should allow the master plan to be considered for final adoption in June.

The timeline is as follows:

• March 29 – public feedback on the draft plan closes (the feedback window will have been open for about 5 weeks)

 

• April 7 – The Planning Commission will be provided with a finalized Master Plan.

 

• April 17 –The Planning Commission, if satisfied with the document, will vote to release it for distribution. This triggers a 63-day (9 week) feedback period for neighboring governments, the county, and regional planning organizations. (Distribution means that the city will send copies of our proposed master plan to these organizations and invite feedback.)

 

• June 19 – The 9-week window will close on June 19 which is also the June Planning Commission meeting date. At that meeting the Planning Commission would hold a Public Hearing on formal adoption of the master plan – step one in a two-step adoption process. If approved by the PC, it is sent to the City Council for final adoption.

 

• June 26 – At the second City Council meeting in June, the City Council will be asked to take the second step in the process with a final adoption of the master plan.

 
If there’s feedback that you’d like to get to the consultants before March 29, please visit www.plancoopersville.com and fill out the comment form. Draft documents are also located there.
 
 
WWTP Upgrade

Work continues with the design/engineering of the effluent pump upgrade that also included the addition of a UV treatment chamber. Updates will be provided as they are available.
 
 
Muskegon Waste Water Treatment Plant Option

At this time, there is a meeting scheduled for the early part of April. The agenda is yet to be defined but there will be a meeting nonetheless. As always, I will report on the progress of this project and the details of discussion that relate directly with Coopersville.
 
 
Water Project Phase I

The Utility Advisory Committee met with Jonathan and I and a number of concepts were discussed and somewhat decided upon, as well as a direction on how to configure costs for the construction. Later in the week we met with Prein&Newhof and defined the project more succinctly, the process by which to proceed, and a request for updated costs to each segment of the project. Prein&Newhof should have that updated information yet this week or early next. The most significant item to take from this memo is that the city has clarified the scope of the project in a more affordable package in terms of our short and long term goals. As always, please contact me if you have questions or comments. 

My ride back from the City of Flint on Tuesday provided a couple of hours of reflection on the Water Infrastructure Conference I attended. There are MANY lessons that can be learned from the Flint water crisis that every community with a water transmission system should take seriously. My biggest take away was the realization that in order to overcome the challenge of obtaining lead free water, the partnering between state, federal, and local agencies that needs to occur. Finger pointing, accusations, and second guessing wasn’t going to provide clean water to the residents of Flint. I have more comments below.
 
Well, Celebrate Coopersville is just hours away. I’m so proud of the cooperation, dedication and going the extra mile in organizing this event. There are many individuals that help make this celebration a reality and most of them are employees of the city. We also thank the West Michigan Plumbers, Fitters & Service Trades Union for allowing us to use their facility Thursday night as well. See you all there, and don’t forget to bring money for the silent auction.
 
Have a fantastic weekend and please be safe out there.


WWTP Upgrade

Work continues with the design/engineering of the effluent pump upgrade that also included the addition of a UV treatment chamber. Updates will be provided as they are available.
 
 
Muskegon Waste Water Treatment Plant Option

Tuesday morning, I had a conference call with Muskegon officials and other interested parties. As you know, the city has already submitted a letter of support for the Muskegon wastewater option for a long-term solution to wastewater treatment capacity. Representatives from Muskegon, Coopersville, and fairlife will be meeting in the next few weeks to continue discussions on the specifics. As always, I will report on the progress of this project.
 
 
Community Expo

March 18, 2017 is the scheduled date for the yearly Community Expo and Book Fair sponsored/organized by the Coopersville Area Chamber of Commerce. The city will have a booth with our elected officials attending along with available staff to answer questions and provide information concerning projects, recreation opportunities, rescue activities and other related topics.  Come to the South Elementary School from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM for this great annual event.
 
 
Water Project Phase I – No New Update to Report

I have spoken informally with Allendale on when we can set up a meeting to further define exactly where we can partner on the Water Project Phase I. Next week a meeting is scheduled for the Utility Advisory Committee to meet with me to discuss recommendations on the proposed scope of the Water Project Phase I. Yes, there has been much discussion already, but there have been many variables still in play that hindered a clear, concise, definable plan. My desire is to make a decision on the scope of the project yet this month. As always, please contact me if you have questions or comments.
 

Water Infrastructure Conference

​There are a number of lessons from the Flint experience that have relevancy for the City of Coopersville. Below are a few worth mentioning:

• Don’t build infrastructure that exceeds demand. Flint built infrastructure to meet the growth it was experiencing for decades because of the auto industry. When that industry closed, or relocated, including the suppliers, and residents began to relocate elsewhere, water consumption eventually fell by two-thirds, or 66%. Water did not circulate or move as once engineered and so it often times remained in one location for as many as six or seven days, thus allowing lead and other elements to intensify in terms of parts-per-million. The City of Coopersville must make every effort to not “over construct” in its capacity based on promises and incomplete data used to support projections of water usage. We must never forget the historical assumption that Delphi would never close in Coopersville.

 

• Accurate documentation on the infrastructure you have is critical. Flint’s outdated record keeping regarding location of curb boxes, type of material of laterals, and the exact location of those laterals, unintentionally added challenges and significantly increased delays in replacement and repair of existing infrastructure, and still does. Fortunately for Coopersville, the SAW grant has provided the tools and the means to accurately document existing infrastructure including material, type of mechanical fixtures, and the like. This will become MORE valuable as the city’s infrastructure ages.

 

• A well-funded and robust maintenance program for infrastructure must be valued and practiced. As property taxes and water consumption decreased, there was far less revenue to support a robust maintenance program for Flint. Thus, maintenance turned into just fixing what became “broken” and the spiral downward continued for years. Once again, the SAW Grant has been a blessing for Coopersville to inventory what assets and infrastructure we have, but also to quantify the condition of that asset so we can actively prioritize capital expenditures and have the information necessary to act on those capital expenditures in a timely fashion.

 
I understand that we are not Flint, either in our economic history or the size and magnitude of our infrastructure. We are also not experiencing the tangential consequences such as health issues, loss of jobs, and the serious loss of quality of life that defines a community. But, we do have infrastructure that each year becomes older and less sound. Only through wise guidance by Coopersville’s elected officials and a highly-qualified staff will Coopersville’s infrastructure future be secure. More detail to come at our budget workshops.